Sesshomaru had said he would be here. "So where is he?" was all Rin could think about all day, and she thought it more frequently as the day went on. It was her twentieth birthday, and Sesshomaru had promised he would be here for it. But so far she was spending the day only doing the normal chores and stuff until sundown, when the whole village would celebrate. But what was the point of celebrating without her Lord here with her?
But little did she know that her adopted uncles had a plan in mind. Although Miroku had been the one to suggest it, Inuyasha wasted know time in helping with preparations.
When the sun started to set in the evening sky, the party began. Rin and all the Villagers sang and danced, and after the feast, Rin got to open presents. They were all meager gifts, no one really having great wealth. Her favorite things she got were a black comb and a new orange yukata from the people, and a jar of something called "Nutella" from Kagome. Rin waited in excitement for her lord to show, but he never came.
About an hour or so after sundown, the party died down and people wished Rin well once more, then returned to their houses. Rin returned with Lady Kaede to their shared house. Rin was so upset that her Lord had not kept his promise, that she cried her self to sleep without changing out of her party clothes Miroku and Inuyasha both waited until their wives were asleep, then snuck out. Miroku left to fetch things, while Inuyasha crept into the hut to grab Rin.
Rin, needless to say, was quite startled to feel a warm hand shaking her shoulder. She bolted upright and was about to scream when a hand was placed firmly over her mouth. Then in the darkness, her eyes adjusted enough to make out the form of Inuyasha.
When he saw that she was no longer afraid, he motioned for her to get up and follow him outside. When they were out and a good distance away from the house, she asked him what they were doing. He kept walking but answered her with a big smile on his face.
"Rin," he said, "your twenty. You're a woman now, and everyone is excited because you can take on more responsibility. But today, Miroku and I were surprised to find that everyone seems to have forgotten what else that means."
Rin was very unsure of where this was going. "And what is that, exactly?"
Inuyasha lead her to one of the new houses, so new that no one yet occupied it, and there was Miroku sitting on the porch with a couple of candles burning.
"Why drink Sake of course!" Miroku cried out quite cheerfully. Sure enough, there were several big bottles of Sake around him. Inuyasha grabbed Rin's hand and led her to sit beside Miroku. Inuyasha sat on her other side and grabbed the cups while Miroku poured.
Rin had been in too much shock to say anything, but she suddenly found her voice. "Now wait a minute! Isn't this bad? What if we get caught or what if-"
"what if you die in the next hour and you never get your chance at drinking with your family?" Miroku interrupted. "Take the drink. We also noticed that you seemed rather down. Nothing better to drown woe in than a little Sake."
Rin stared at the cup with the clear liquid before reaching for it. She grasped the little cup and waited for some very happy uncles to poor theirs and they looked at each other for a second before tipping the whole dish and drinking the whole cup in one shot. It burned Rin's throat and made her cough badly, making her Uncles laugh viciously. But half because she didn't wanted to be teased and half because she sort of liked the burn. she made Inuyasha pour her another cup.
An hour and a half later, they were well within the definition of drunk. They were all laughing uncontrollably with no sign of stopping.
It was then that a very angry Sesshomaru appeared in front of them